Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said it was an important time for the University to share the outcomes and benefits of its research.

“The University of Melbourne employs over 6,500 research staff working together to solve society’s most pressing problems, from better human and environmental health, to understanding why stock markets crash.

“As a public-spirited institution – one that prides itself on playing a prominent role in educating future generations and finding solutions to the world’s grand challenges – it is important we share the impact and outcomes of our work with the community, locally and further afield.”

Pursuit is edited by Phillip Gardner, former Editor-in-Chief of the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne.

“The common thread through everything on Pursuit – be it a story, video, graphic or podcast – is that it is all directly informed by world-leading experts; every piece of information is research-informed, authoritative and the latest in its field,” he said.

“The work that takes place at the University of Melbourne, day in day out, and the impact it has on the community is amazing.

“Readers will find everything from the story behind cutting-edge new melanoma treatments to how meditation can benefit school students to new tools to fight bushfires.

“Many of our research staff are also keen communicators, wanting to engage with the community so Pursuit provides an ideal channel for them to do that.”

Pursuit was launched as part of the University’s newbrand campaign.

Marketing and communications executive director, Lara McKay, said the site forms a vital part of our overall communication strategy.

“Increasingly, universities must communicate how their work benefits the community. The challenge for the University is to communicate our comprehensive strength and the impact of the multitude of projects being worked on here every day, but we can’t rely on a once a month or once a quarter publication to do that anymore,” she said.

“Pursuit is the latest, and boldest, step we have taken towards making research not only visible to the public, but interesting, engaging and dynamic. Our aim is absolutely to entice readers to stay on the site, read more stories, and return the next day to learn about our next great contribution in research.”

Pursuit is updated daily, and readers have the opportunity to subscribe to hear about new articles in their areas of interest. The University’s social media channels also keep readers up-to-date on the latest content.

All material is shareable on social networks, and can be republished by any media organisation under creative commons licensing.